Angles of Attack, Part Two
Team Titan Think Tank Issue 6 "Angles of Attack" (Part Two.) Front cover- there is a massive dog-pile of clay duplicates massed across the cover. Coming out of the dog-pile, punching several dupes into the air, is a flying small fist of energy, there is a blue, spiked tail, shooting out several with mutliple crackles of lighting, and Yu's blade can be seen bursting out of the back of one in roughly the middle. Along the bottom of the cover are the words "One team, against an army. Terracotta Army." The issue opens with Sonne as reflected in his head-covering force-shield the reader can see the vague reflections of GM and the two clay warriors. Sonne scowls at the statue, leaning backward as the energy in his legs crawls over his torso and into his arms, as he thrusts an open palm at it. "Hold it right there, Dirt-bag!" He comes to a landing as the energy is transferred. "I think you might be getting ahead of yourself. If I were you, I'd start having that-" he casually lifts his palm in the air as if throwing a ball lightly, cutting the energy field at the peak of momentum. "SINKING FEELING!" The first warrior is surrounded by an energy field, and then hurled into the air. As the second looks back at his flying original, as he crashes down, unmoving, and then looks back to Sonne and nods, in respect and then stands in a battle stance "Haha! Come on, claymate! I'm game!" As Sonne says that, another warrior arises from the dust and flying clay chips from where he threw the first to the ground and bows. "Ah, well now it's almost even!" "And so, Yu, that would make our first tactical lesson..?" he says, with a hand sweep toward the less experienced group members. Reb looks at the fight straight-faced and silent; the colour has left his face. Yu whirls his spear, adopting a defensive stance. He keeps his back to the others, facing outwards, but turns his head slightly to address them. "At least, by now, you should all understand how our foe works. Keep heading for the buildings. Tonic, tell me how we can defeat our foe." Mr Psychic presses a button on the inside rim of his hat as the hat glows and starts to spin round. It projects in front of him a close up picture of the surroundings, constantly skipping around behind each nook and cranny and then he flips a switch on his cane, and slams it into the ground as a purple field of solid force surrounds him and then hits another button on the hat and tips it forward at the furthest dupe as it spins widly and glows purple. The warriors presses his palms together in meditation, and seems to whether whatever Psychic is attempting. "Not to worry, chaps and lady. There are none besides what we see in front of us." he says reassuringly. Tonic, keeping her eyes on the stone warriors, moves over to stand between Reb and them, absent mindedly biting her fingernails. Her eyes dart from Games Master and one stone warrior to the other...and fix on the ground at its feet, which begins to swirl and distort "..S...stay there...y...you..." She holds out a hand to Reb "S...stick with me...o...okay?" Reb nods as he grabs her hand. The ground melts away at the feet of the closest warrior as it falls into the ground leaving only its head visible above the hole in the ground its stuck in. "Well that's a start." Cain says, confidently walking toward the warriors as he says it, glancing at the heroes he passes. "Happy to see how rapidly you've all adopted the restraint approach." He reaches Games Master, casually pushing past him with one raised arm - it isn't clear on how much of a look he gives him as he does so, as he throws in "We're likely to need reactions beyond 'smash' in the city of mind controlled civilians..." And with that he looks down on the warriors, breathing in deeply, shaking slightly and turning a bright blue. Continuing to breathe in, a small vaccuum effect around his mouth, before bellowing a cone of ice over the enemies, freezing them where they are; they are all surrounded in an icy sheen and frozen completely. "Simulation, complete" says Red Buddha's voice and the room turns back to white. "Frozen clay, excellent approach. Terracotta Army is rendered powerless until someone thaws him, after such an attack" says Red. "Ah. Perhaps a bit... pre-emptive, on my part." Cain muses. Yu glances up. "Thank you, Red Buddha." He slowly straightens up, letting out a calming breath. He gives Cain a shrug. "A lesson has still been taught." "...M...more w...warning next time p...please?" Reb slowly lets go of Tonic's hand, the colour slowly returns to his face. "Neat. Bit crude, but it works I guess", says Sonne. "A simple task to get a gauge on our abilities" adds Mr Psychic. "So you like, looked into their... claybrains?" Sonne says to Psychic. Yu nods in agreement with Mr. Psychic, but remains silent for now, letting them talk and recover. "Not as such I'm afraid. The simulation ceased before I was able to truly warm up." "That's neat. I thought you would be limited to living things, let alone simulations. Though I guess your VI can sim that, Yu?" "Let me say from experience that these training rooms can be... deadly, accurate" Cain explains. "... right", Sonne responds. Reb looks to cain's use of the word deadly a little wide-eyed. "So hey, Red Buddha, can you confirm the Clay Automaton I dropped reformed? Would any height of altered that at all?" Sonne asks, looking up. Yu folds his arms, still remaining silent as the conversation moves on. He smiles faintly at the use of Red Base's old name. Tonic mutters something that may or may not be "Who's 'graphite girl' the 'liability' now...harrumph..." ...and then looks instantly guilty afterwards "Any form of damage to Terracotta's form causes a duplicate to grow. Even a centimetre of broken material would cause it to regenerate a separate duplicate" responds Red "Shunt! That's nasty. Clever, though. Box clever." Reb starts to tear up a little and begins wiping it away quick trying to do so unnoticed. Tonic will bend down and put an arm round Reb "I'll keep you s...safe. I promise...and we'll make you a mask..." "I'm ok," he sniffs Cain surveys the team, arms folded. "My apologies, Yu." he says with a quiet lean. "I shall endeavour to keep the simulation from ending so abruptly next time." "Simulation 2. Beginning" says Red "Very clever", he grins as his gaze shoots upward. "It would be safe to assume we have to expect the unexpected-" Reb breaths in deep making in a weird eep noise. Yu gives Cain a wry smirk, before glancing up as well, flexing his limbs. Colour melts down all around the heroes again. They stand on a mountaintop, grass is at their feet, and there are lots of small oriental trees dotted around them. They stand in a walled garden. Behind them, there is a fifty fot gap in the wall and stone steps leading down the mountain. 100ft ahead of where they all stand in the middle of the garden is a stone Chinese temple. There is a small bald monk stood in front of the open entrance. He attends a gong and strikes it. The comic cuts to show a pair of sandalled feet, an ancient skin old withered like parchment as they step out of the temple entrance. The monk is completely bald, and looks about twenty. he is also completely shaven. He bows his head and does not look at the heroes. The reader can only see a silhouette stood in the temple door "Well met, Friend." Sonne raises a hand in greeting, slowly walking towards the temple. Reb waves to the monk "Hello sir." Sonne sees in the doorway a very tiny old man, he looks ancient, more than 100 years in age. Cain continues to stand, light blue, arms folded. He stares with a derisive curiousity at Gunn. The old monk has no hair either, on his head or face, but he does have brilliantly white eyebrows, which have strong strands that snake upwards. Tonic is giving Sonne a very distinct look of 'are you serious?' The man looks tiny, skinny and not remotely a threat, his eyes so small they look closed. The monk does not look at Gunn as he talks, and the old man simply bows, a small smirk appearing on his otherwise neutral features. Yu breathes in and out, slowly, deeply, his eyes darting from Sonne to the old man. His spear begins to tremble slightly in his grip. He looks to his spear. The old man has a completely naked torso, only wearing a brown loin-cloth, and has no weapons. Out of Yu's field of vision, one of Cain's claws tenses around his arm. He generally maintains a smirk, and a Gunnward stare, but as one of his feet slides back slightly there is a shot of his eyes turning to Reb and Tonic. Reb waves to 'Mr Dinosaur.' Yu mutters under his breath, and then raises his voice as he starts to march forward, seeking to overtake Gunn. "Old Master! I know that isn't really you, but it is an honour to face you. We are here to train and fight you. Defend yourself!" "... Wow, rude." Gunn raises a brow. Old Master walks down the steps and moves towards Yu and Sonne, as Yu moves to Sonne's side; there is ten foot between him and them. He stops. And he makes a massive grin, hands still at his side, pose still quite relaxed. "... So, hey. Here's an idea, why not share some context so we're not stood here wondering what the heck you've been putting in your pipe, Yu?" "T...this is s...supposed to teach us not to judge by a...appearances..." "Mr Yu wants us to beat up this old guy; I'd watch out I'm sure I saw a cartoon that tells me this won't be easy." "I don't want to beat up the old guy, because he's smiling and he's probably going to hand me my own ass in a light sauce of my pride. I get that. In fact I think everyone with eyes gets that" Sonne adds. Reb reaches down and grabs a sizeable rock, about the size of a conker. "I'm part of this team, I need to help also," He lobs the rock at the old man with all his kid-like strength. Yu turns slowly, his blood clearly up. He doesn't seem to want to turn his body away from the old man, however. His voice is strained as he speaks. "This is-" The old man grabs the stone. His grin widens. He shows perfect teeth. Reb looks a bit sad. And then the old man idly flicks the stone at Sonne. Yu freezes. "I fear you may have acted rather rashly, young man" Psychic admonishes Reb. Sonne holds out a hand to catch the rock as the rock fies into one of the many indentations in the armour which carries the energy flow and hits with some force; sparks fly and Sonne's arm is jerked backwards and he is spun 360 as he ends up back facing Old Master, a little giddy. "SHUNTING DATAPORTS-... Flaking, OW! That's... totally not sporting!" "Sorry mr Gunn, I was only trying to help"; Reb frowns apologetically. Old Master shrugs and looks purely innocent and points at the child. "He's lying he also did it not just me!" Reb whines. "Alright, fine!" says Sonne defiantly. Old Master waves a single finger at Reb and tuts mockingly. "Prepare yourself, Rock thrower!" Sonne takes a fighting pose. "R...Reb...I t..think you m...might need this...d...don't dodge...ok?" Tonic says. The Games Master strides up to the Old Master and bends into a deep bow. "If it is an honourable fight and test of skill you are seeking through this lesson, then be our master and we shall be your students. It is already clear that looks can be deceiving." Energy swirls down in a jet of blue down his arms and twists around his hands. An ornate blade materialises before him. The energy engulfs him in a whirl of a disguise. His form becomes that of a beautiful oriental woman with flowing locks of bright red hair. "And that power comes from within."His final whisper is that of two words which he directs to the weapon before him, "Heavenly sword." Tonic slightly raises one arm towards Reb, and her sleeve falls back, showing a...rather high tech looking arm bracer, clearly still in prototype stages as there are a few patches of exposed circuitry marring the construction of sterile white and shining titanium. It adds only a centimetre at most to the width of her arm, and a small hatch has lifted just to the right of the centre, revealing a single dart...which fires at the exposed side of Reb's neck. "OOOOWWWWWWWWW!" Reb grabs his neck, over-reacting. Tonic looks sheepishly at the floor "...sorry..." "No it's ok Dr Toni.." he rubs his neck still. Mr Psychic presses another hidden button on his top hat in an attempt to scan the mind of the man in front of them. Unfortunately it yields little as his mind is closed. "Well, by my uncle Marcel's spoon collection." The Old Master gives Mister Psychic a patronisingly childish wave Tops looks to Cain. "So let me guess, this is a patience test, old Triassic?" "Worse, I fear. I expect that whatever we try to turn on him, he'll throw right back. Literally, in our current test case." "Shall I perhaps restrain him, then?" Mr Psychic is nodding and tipping his hat the the old man in the background as they speak "Mm, that may also end poorly, old chap..." Cain says, musing to himself again "Well, you're the genius. What do we do?" "I'm glad you ask now, and not five years ago. It'd be a pity to wipe this quaint little temple off the side of the planet, simulated or not." Cain's large foot claw taps impatiently against the ground a while before he scoffs and strides forward to join Gunn and Yu. "It can't hurt too much to test a theory. Can it, Master?" he asks, extending a handclaw to the old man. He is ten foot from the man like the others, but his hand extends out, and the Old Master shakes it, and chuckles and then lets go. His hands relax to his side again. "You're a delightfully reactive soul, aren't you?" The man merely smiles, as if he doesn't know what Cain is saying, but guesses the rough meaning "D....does anybody s...speak chinese?" Yu glances up at the clear blue sky and mutters under his breath, before addressing the others, locking his gaze onto the old man. "This is Old Master, the previous leader of Team Titan China, before...his death. He is a martial arts master, and the ''purpose ''of this simulation is to defeat a singular, powerful foe as a team. If there aren't any further interruptions...?" He throws a warning glance over his shoulder. Yu waits for a few, tense moments before glancing at the others level with him. "Follow me in." And with that, he charges at the small, unarmed, elderly man, his spear held high. Cain breaks into a sprinter's dash, claws scraping the ground a moment - he quakes to form change, but this is only in a frame or two and his chosen form isn't shown yet. Yu brings in his spear-point first and then halts, as he swings the other end round and down like a staff. Old Master sees the ruse; he steps over the staff end of the spear and then he grabs it and tries to slap the flat of the spear point against Yu's face, but he brings up his other hand to block it. "It has been too long, boy" the Old Master finally says in Chinese, still grinning "Too long indeed, old man," Yu returns in Chinese, smirking. Old Master then takes a step back again, hands once again relaxed by his side. Reb runs forward with a look of determination. The Games Master braces himself with a look of strain upon his face, even knowing it is a test he would rather the Old Master had agreed to challenge. He splits the sword in half with a swift, elegant movement in his feminine form. He swings the blade round and it extends towards the Old Master on the end of a chain. The Old Master sidesteps at the blade shoots past his cheek and grabs the blade with one hand and the chain with the other, and then hurls the blade back at Games Master. The comic shows the blade travelling right for GM's chest with a motion blur as it hits, the reader can only see a silhouette of GM, as he is eclipsed by a massive purple flash of energy. GM staggers back and looks at his own energy blade, rammed right into his chest as energy judders from it, and vibrates throughout GM's body as energy leaks out of his eyes and ears as he drops to his knees. "Game over...insert coin.." he lets out a strained laugh. End of issue.